I was privileged to be at Goodison Park on Sunday as part of a group of invited ex-players who, wearing Everton colours, had all picked up the FA Cup in recent years.

It was great to see the likes of Trevor Steven, Dave Watson, Ray Wilson, Derek Temple and Peter Reid, among others, and the current Everton team certainly put on a show worthy of their distinguished predecessors.

Just as they did against Bolton Wanderers, David Moyes’ players started quickly and brightly and on this occasion got the early break their play deserved.

The correctly-awarded penalty which at least temporarily levelled the scores merely delayed the inevitable and an Aston Villa side who themselves have had an excellent season were second best in all departments for the vast majority of the game.

Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott were as formidable as ever and Mikel Arteta quite rightly received much praise for his skilful midfield probing. But for me the two stars of the show, though mentioned in dispatches, were not given the fulsome accolade they both deserved.

Tim Cahill gave two more physically superior opponents a game they won’t forget in a hurry and in midfield Jack Rodwell, since his substitute appearance in the previous round’s replay win over Liverpool, has shown a confidence, composure and maturity well beyond his tender years.

After such a good performance and result and regardless of what anyone says about “having to beat the best to win the Cup” or “we’ll take whoever we get”, I’m guessing there was considerable relief in the dressing room that the quarter-final draw kept the four remaining big clubs – Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton – apart.

The Blues’ home draw was another fantastic bonus because after that shaky start to the season, Everton are beginning to look a real force at Goodison Park and to be drawn against either West Ham United or Middlesbrough was as much as anyone could have asked for.

The job now for Moyes over the next couple of weeks will entail something new to him during his time at the club.

He has a major balancing act to perform in that the fans want to savour the excitement of an FA Cup quarter-final and what they hope and believes lies beyond that, while at the same time he needs to maintain the Premier League momentum.

And to a degree he needs also to retain the underdog mentality which has brought the magnificent best from his players over the last five or six weeks. The manager still has to select his team from the same core of players already asked to perform miracles and the harsh reality of football – whether in the league or cup – is that the moment you finally think you have got it sussed can easily become the moment when you fall flat on your face.

I read an interesting article at the weekend in which Phil Neville revealed his team-mates had a little go at him because he made exactly that point to them immediately after the win over Villa.

Good on him, I say – that’s why Moyes made him captain, because he has been at a club and played for a team that have been in a similar position not just for a month or a year, but for a decade or more, knowing that 99 times out of 100, when you win a big game you immediately have to start preparing for the next one.

Before the Cup quarter-final Everton have three winnable league fixtures against Newcastle United, West Brom and Blackburn and, with Chelsea and Arsenal looking less than invincible and accepting the general consensus that Villa can’t keep going as they have been, it’s an opportunity for Moyes’ men to make hay while the sun shines.

Given their current form and their next three games they could quite conceivably crank up the pressure on the sides above them and, at the same time, ensure the gap between them and the chasing pack becomes even greater.